I’ve always been a fan of literature that deals with “tough topics.” I remember how upset my mom was at me for reading the “smutty” (her word, not mine) Forever by Judy Blume, which deals very honestly (and very beautifully I think) with teenage sexuality. Then, there’s The Catcher in the Rye which discusses teenage sexuality, depression, less than positive views of the rest of the world, and all the things that most adults don’t want to know kids feel and think about. There’s Go Ask Alice, which deals with drug abuse in a way that is, on the surface, “parent friendly,” but that really makes drug abuse seem kind of fun and glamorous. Having been someone who suffered from an eating disorder in my young adult years, there were also many books, like Stick Figure and Wasted that tried to discuss this difficult subject honestly, but just ended up triggering me more and giving me tips for my behaviors. I can’t blame what I took away from those books on anyone but me though. In the end, I was the one who made the decision to engage in eating disordered behaviors. I think censoring books or asking writers to deal with “tough topics” In a certain pre-approved ways is wrong. Writers do not have any “responsibility” to their young readers in my opinion except to write honest stories that show a little slice of life.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower article made me really sad…and mad. It’s a beautiful book, one that is sitting on the bookshelf in my kitchen (yes…my kitchen…I buy way too many books for a tiny apartment) right now. My knee-jerk reaction to Krueger’s quote:
“I home-schooled my kids for 10 years,” she said. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought when I put them in public schools that this would be given to them.”
was that she should send her kids back to being home-schooled if she didn’t like it! And I just got angrier as I read. The oral sex in the book…that happens among young people. So does drug use. These parents need to wake up and realize that kids are faced with tough decisions every day, and that the material in these books is often nothing new to them. Besides, The Perks of Being a Wallflower scared me off of drugs, because of the “flashbacks” the main character has. Seriously, though, reading the article and feeling so angry and wanting to say rude things made me realize that I’m really going to have to reign that in when I actually am teaching. I’m going to have to deal with parents, perhaps even students, who don’t feel the way I do about censorship, and I’m going to have to be respectful toward them and their opinions, even if I don’t agree.
Since I’m not yet teaching, I haven’t faced censorship in that regard, but I have had to deal with it in my life. I went to a Christian school as a kid, and I remember my English…yes my English teacher…describing The Catcher in the Rye as a “horrible book.” We never officially studied it in school, because it was “sinful,” but thank God my rebellion made me pick it up and devour it over and over again. Luckily, I transferred to public school for my junior and senior year, but I still wonder what other great works I might have missed out on by going to that school. I’ve also felt censored in my fiction writing. I was working on a novel about a young girl who plans to commit suicide at the end of the week; the novel dealt with what she did during that week, but I was dissuaded from completing it due to suicide not being an appropriate topic for young people. No one really had a problem with the subject; they just thought I’d have a very hard time publishing it, and I think they may have been right.
I’d like to think that, as a teacher, I can introduce my students to all kinds of literature, but I doubt that, in reality, I’ll be allowed to. I’m sure some books will be off limits. I can tell my students my views on censorship though and hope that they follow in my footsteps. I can also find hope in the fact that many books that are now widely taught were once banned or met with outrage—Catcher, Huck Finn, The Outsiders, etc. The world might not change at the rate I would like it to, but it does change eventually.
I think it’s important to make bold personal choices and to stand up for them. However, I think the making choices WISELY part comes in when we decide what to do with those personal choices. I don’t think we should deliberately disobey school rules, go against parents’ wishes, or have prohibited material in the classroom. What I think we must do—and this can make a huge difference—is say when we don’t agree with these choices, to work to change them in a sensible way, and to set a good example for our students by stating and standing by our opinions, even when others don’t agree. Bookhenge
playingschool 
I share your sense of outrage at the reactions of a people who demonize books. I think the hard thing for me is figuring out where to draw the line. Playboy shouldn’t be allowed in a high school library (in spite of its great articles) – right? But distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate texts for young people is tricky. And since different people draw the line in different places, there are bound to be disagreements.
I’m tempted to say, “Why ban any books?” But then I remember my Playboy example…and I’m right back to thinking there must be a line somewhere. I just don’t know where…which puts me at a disadvantage when engaging with people who have definite (often extremely restrictive) views on the subject.
I agree completely, and I think that sounds like a great idea for a novel. Who told you you wouldn’t get it published and even so, who cares? I say write it anyway, you can always self publish if you need to see it in a final form. I think that we have to resist the feeling that we don’t want to offend that small number, and just go into each year knowing that we will have to answer to some parents. But, I don’t think that censors really have a lot of ground to stand on, no matter what their beliefs, because open discussion of sensitive topics is the best way to deal with them.
Susie, I understand your emotional reaction to the challenge of Perks of Being a Wallflower. I too am always somewhat taken aback at the reaction of some parents. What always gets me is the that threatening stance people will take, such as when one board member said he’d had threats made toward him because of his place on the board – and we wonder why some children think it’s okay to bully others. I like what you said at the end, that we need to be wise in our choices. You ended your blog with, “What I think we must do—and this can make a huge difference—is say when we don’t agree with these choices, to work to change them in a sensible way, and to set a good example for our students by stating and standing by our opinions, even when others don’t agree.” On one level this is what the parents in Wisconsin did – said when they didn’t agree with choices made and worked to change it. I think where your ideas differ greatly from those in the articles we read is that you advocate setting a good example, and unfortunately, many of those parents in Wisconsin didn’t seem at all concerned with modeling good behavior for their own children. I find the best course of action when dealing with parents who seem a bit unreasonable is to take some deep breaths, try to remember they believe they are doing what is best for their children, and never respond via email without someone first reading what you wrote.